Matching a Sub woofer to the Ideal Subwoofer Box
Many car or truck owners thinking about adding a new bass sub woofer to their car audio system have no idea of the significance the subwoofer box performs. They will blow their spending budget on an high priced sub woofer then will not put any work to locate the appropriate speaker box for their specific car or truck. I know this is true since I have dealt with unhappy shoppers who have come to me after buying an incorrect box for their subwoofer.
Basically, the sub enclosure provides the required back pressure from its air volume that allows any loudspeaker to operate the way in which the manufacturer engineered it. The subwoofer enclosure needs to be matched up to the specifics of the sub woofer. You’ll always find the manufacturer’s recommendations enclosed with almost any brand new sub. If you purchase a pre-owned speaker, you can always obtain the information you need on-line.
The sub woofer enclosure provides a great impact on the caliber of sound you can expect to experience from the loudspeaker. Yet, regrettably all too often the shopper will try to sacrifice quality by either building his own enclosure or buying the lowest cost box available while not thinking about the specific specifications of the sub woofer. If you want to really benefit from your expensive subwoofer, it’s best to go for a high quality factory produced sub woofer box.
Generally speaking, while there are specific individual forms of sub boxes, there are two classes to consider. The typical box, which can be a sealed box or ported or of the bandpass configuration. A majority of these are typical retangular boxes and amongst the most common are definitely the 10 subwoofer enclosure and the 12 subwoofer enclosure. The dimensions of the sub box is based on the air volume needs of the loudspeaker. Generally they are constructed of wood or MDF. Although these will tend to be the most cost effective boxes, they’ll have to have a relatively large space for installation. So the question for you is just how much space do you want to to set aside to your subwoofer?
I believe, the best option any time obtainable is usually a custom subwoofer enclosure This sort of subwoofer box is generally cast in fiberglass or composite materials. They are available for the widely used cars or trucks in the marketplace from manufacturers like Bassforms, MTX Thunderforms and JL Audio Stealthboxes. They are referred to as “custom” since they’re made to easily fit into out-of-the-way areas like under back seats or for the side areas of car trunks or SUV’s. They’ll be more expensive then conventional boxes but the advantage that they will use dead space and as well make excellent sound makes them the best option for many people. Beyond just the molded custom boxes, companies like RT, Obcon, and Atrend make similar custom-fit speaker boxes of MDF in numerous configurations and are less costly.
You’ll find that certain custom sub boxes also provide the advantage of incorporating an amp and even a matched up sub mounted. These have been supplied by MTX and JL Audio and while being higher priced then empty boxes you have to take into account you won’t need to buy and install a separate amp. Needless to say if the power amp is built-into the box, you save space which likewise tends to make a simpler installation.
So no matter what kind subwoofer box you choose, be sure to spend some time doing research before making a purchase. If you do so, you are going to benefit by hearing the bass sound you envisioned out of your sub.
